Martinez hopes to persuade Fellaini to stay

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has urged midfielder Marouane Fellaini to stay at Goodison Park and repeat his fine form of last season.

Fellaini, 25, has been linked with Arsenal and Manchester United - now managed by ex-Everton boss David Moyes - and has a release clause allowing him to join a club in the Champions League for £24 million.

But new manager Martinez is determined to keep the Belgium international, saying he is a huge admirer of the player who scored 12 goals last season.

"Marouane is an international footballer and he's going to be involved, if all goes well, in a World Cup next year," Martinez told the Liverpool Echo. "He's had a fantastic impact in the Premier League, and hopefully now is the time he can carry on showing his massive influence in the game for us.

"He's still a very young man, but I am really looking forward to seeing Marouane working hard and making sure that he sets really good standards at this club.

"We have a very good group of senior players in our dressing room, and some players need that extra bit of responsibility. We have youngsters at the club and they need to get opportunities, but the senior players at the club are massively important [if we are to] start the season as strong as we can be."

Fellaini, Everton's record signing, cost £15 million when he joined from Standard Liege in 2008. Since then, he has scored 32 goals in 173 games for the club.